Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game One gun,one load for the rest of your life!!!

That would pretty much do it.

Agree with odessa.
Mine is a Sears J.C. Higgins model 50, 30-06, vari x 111 2.5-8x36, timney trigger, B&C stock, shooting 180 patition handloads.
No problems so far.

It is difficult indeed to top this choice. My combination includes the same rifle with H4350 over 175 grain Hornady spire points or 160 grain Speer Hot-Cors, but I doubt there's much difference in on-game performance between my choices and yours. Recoil is tolerable for when the body gets older and weaker. The rifle itself is not heavy and is exceptionally smooth and reliable in operation. The trigger on mine is light enough to facilitate precise shooting (simply by changing the trigger spring). Mine wears an excellent Leupold 2-7x33 which I consider ideal for the rifle and cartridge. I could definitely hunt the rest of my life happily and successfully with this rifle.

I have others that would do the same job equally well, such as my tang-safety Ruger in the same caliber, my Weatherby MkV lightweight sporter in 30-06 with just about any 180 grain bullet, my Interarms Mauser 30-06, and a couple others. But the 7x57 performs as well with noticeably less recoil than the 30-06.

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I'd hate to hunt with just one rifle and load for the rest of my life. But if I had to, it would be with my Weatherby Mk V ultralight in 280Rem. It wears a conquest 3-9x and shoots 140gr TSX. I can use this rig anywhere, even in condor country.

Reminds me of when Skeeter Skelton asked his old time buddy Dobe Grant in "Handgun Tales" this question. Skeeter thought maybe a deer rifle, maybe a centerfire handgun, and Dobe went to the barn and came back with a pump 22. Of course he didn't worry about game laws too much on the Turkey Track.
dan

My favorite author!

I'm now using a Ruger .375 for everything in the lower 48. I like the weight and balance. It's also all that I can afford.

Much as I like .308s, .7mms and .416RM, I would probably chose a .375 H&H. With that I could kill everything from elephants to coyotes and would have a good chance of finding ammo for it in most corners of the globe.

One gun one load?

Ruger 10/22 with a 4X fixed power weaver and CCI Stingers. I can hit a rabbit or deer in the head every time at fifty yards. Head or at least upper shoulder/neck shoot game birds at the same distance. And as far as a SHTF weapon you can hit a man sized target at well over 200yds with only a little practice and carry 200rnds in the pocket of your jeans.

What else do you really NEED?

That being said, life would be dull without having to debate with ones self every year about what rifle do I want to take hunting.

The logical choice for BC wood be a 338WM with 225gr TSX's loaded to around 2750fps, the rifle wood be a Sako 75 or 85 SS. This round doesn't mess up deer too much , is excellant on elk and moose and probably a safe minimum for G-bear. I had two 338's and sold them off as I like an all round rifle for plinking ,deer, small moose, this is a 3006, also a heavy for the big animals in the thick stuff this require a good medium, 358, 366, or 375.

8x68S
180gr TSX @ 3,150fps
and never look back!

BBerg

Kimber Montana in 300WSM with a 168 gr TTSX.

The 7mmstw shooting the 140gr mrx.

Whats your recipe and what sort of velocity are you getting?

I loaded some 220gr Hornady Interlocks over 50gr of IMR 4350 for my Rem 700 06 and thought they did a great job on the one deer I've taken with it. But they chrony at 2250fps about 150fps less than what I was hoping for.

I'll have to flip a coin between;
Marlin 1895, 300 gr speer unicor in front of 61 gr of RX7 @ 2450fps. Savage 110 35 Whelen, 250 gr Hornady with 61.5 gr RX15 @ 2640 fps.
I tend to lean toward lighter bullet wt's for anything up to moose or grizzly's.

My M70 in .300 H&H Mag w/ 200grn NP's at 2880fps.

If it really came down to it:

Winchester Featherweight fiberglass in 30-06 shooting 165 TSX topped with a Leupie 4x.

Further, I would prefer the option of handloading, anything from 110 varmint bullets to 240 grain Woodleigh Centenarys. Second, I would like a nice wooden stock to use almost all the time except in certain environments. Finally, I would enjoy having a couple of options in the scope department, namely a Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10.

I'd go with the 22 rifle.

I guess a 7x 57 stuffed with 140 gr Nosler Partitions on top of 50 gr of IMR-4350. Since the kind of hunting I pretty much do nowadays its plenty, for the rare times its not, then there the 338 Winnie. But its splitting hairs when you get down to it. Then again it would be so simple for me a 180 gr bullet out of a .30-06. But that is another issue.

a 1:8 twisted 7x57mm mauser with 160 gr. Accubonds or some 175 gr. Round nose bullets otta handle whatever needs takin care of............